Gordale’s Raven King

On Gordale’s lofty, craggy heights
Which, riven, grasp heavens in their maw
The royal raven claimed his rights
In croaking, harsh, imperious caw.

In regal pomp he sat, surveyed
And scanned his limestone-pillared hall
Anthracite plumage bright displayed
Yet still a speck on cliff so tall.

Then, stretching wide his gloss-black wings,
He plunged, his feathered flight to forge
And, emulating mighty kings,
He viewed the empire of his gorge.

But, as he soared towards the sun,
Subduing subjects ’neath crowned head,
A poacher raised his mortal gun
And shot the cackling monarch dead.

So now, in Gordale’s gaping cleft,
Hushed, rugged rocks are loath to ring
Harsh echoes, since they are bereft
Of avian monarch, raven king.

poem by C. Richard MilesReport problemRelated quotes
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Little Raven

Little raven,
Where did you come from?
Little raven,
With your little black body.
Little raven,
With your long, shinny wings.
Little raven,
In mid flight.
Little raven,
With your frightening caw.
Little raven,
Why are you a sigh of death?

poem by Jameaka ShiblesReport problemRelated quotes
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Remember Raven

Aah! ooh!
Aah! ooh!
While youre busy trying to conjure dirt upon me,
Your ponys sucked dry by an african bee.
The muck you rake is not enough to keep your turd at sea,
Remember the raven,
Remember the raven.
While your busy trying to weigh your power,
Your boats getting into fast water.
Lifes going down the river of no return,
Remember raven,
Remember raven.
Dont try to be a warden to history,
While trying to find a seat for your posterity.
You better tend your garden for your family.
Remember raven,
Remember raven.
Judas never got the key to heaven, you know.
Raven, raven, remember raven,
Remember raven.
Raven, raven, remember raven,
Remember raven.
Raven, raven, raven.

song performed by by Yoko OnoReport problemRelated quotes
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A Raven

Dark bird
Black raven with black wings,
Black eyes as dark as midnight,

Wind flutters his wings,
Shadows turn his head,
And movement catches his stare.

He looks down upon you and watches in dismay,
No black is with in you,
No night in your eyes,

No wings to up lift you,
No shadow to attract you,
And movements pass your gaze.

A raven, A raven, A moonlight silhouette.

poem by Mmm DavisReport problemRelated quotes
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Quest for Shaded Truth

Dove came to Raven in a dream.
He was whiter than snow.
Raven woke with his croaking scream,
A creature of light had visited.

It was not just a vision,
The Dove soon arrived in flesh.
Raven stared in derision,
As Dove was loved more than he.

What have I done, thought Raven,
To deserve such hostility?
Must I stop eating carrion,
Or carry a branch in my beak?

Dove is loved by all,
With his smooth, snowy plumage,
And his slow, cooing call
That so comforts Man’s soul.

As the wind whispered Nature’s
Thoughts into his ears, he realized
That without the dark there
Could not be light.

Raven watched fires angrily destroy,
And rain patter softly on earth.
He saw shrubs, stooped like haggard men,
While tall trees towered tyrannically.

But who made the rules about
What should symbolize purity,
And what should represent
Repulsion and evil?

poem by Bryce LimReport problemRelated quotes
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Prayer of the damned..

Raven raven,
upon the sky,
I'd wish this world had room for you and I.
These black hearts, these lost souls,
these fragile dreams of foolish hopes..
You posses wings but art not free,
crowned with your thorny wreath..
we're both chained by guilt,
the guilt of being..
We are the black misfits of this world so free,
tortured by our own pain and misery.
Raven raven, can we ever be free? ..

David Joergensen

poem by David JoergensenReport problemRelated quotes
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Raven, Raven

I took my children to the Zoo.
That was in March of 1993
And there was a sharp wind.
We saw a black
Raven who had stories.
'Are you thirsty, Raven? '
They asked him.
He said: 'Raven, Raven.'
'Are you hungry, Raven? '
He said: 'Raven, Raven'
'Do you have a family, Raven? '
I asked.
He said: 'Raven, Raven.'
We came back smiling
My children and I.
The children left.
We remained: sharp wind and me.
We went to my apartment:
My memories and I.
Unbearable loneliness.
I went to a pub.
The waiter asked:
'Are you thirsty or hungry?
You are not with your kids tonight? '
I replied: 'RAVEN, RAVEN.'

poem by Jankovic ZoranReport problemRelated quotes
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I Am A Raven

I am a raven
Freer than a breeze
Beholding to no one
Doing what I please

I am a raven
Watch me fly
Aeries are for eagles
Not me!
Don’t ask me why

I am a raven
Eating what I please
Sleep anywhere I want
Have no one to appease

I am a raven
You’d better let me by
I’m a bit combative
Might pluck out an eye

I am a raven
Better left alone
Unless inclined to marry
Have ravens of mine own

I am a raven
Feathers black as coal
Robbery my stock in trade
So stay clear
Or I may steal your soul

poem by Ray LuceroReport problemRelated quotes
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Ravens

The raven is the national bird of Bhutan
It is worn in the royal hat.

The raven is the official bird of the Yukon
And of the city of Yellowknife

King Harald Hardrada carried a raven banner
Called land-waster, a Viking boast

In Sweden the raven is known
As the ghost of a murdered person

In Scotland, a raven's a corbie
Feasting on knights and gallow's meat

The ravens, Hugin and Mugin
Sit upon Odin's shoulders
Their names are Thought and Memory

The raven is the trickster god
Of the Inuit and the Koyukons
The Kingdom of England will fall
If the Tower of London ravens fly away

Hail to the raven,
The Wizard of Skene's familiar
Wise were his ways who had the gift of speech

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Madam Morganna The Raven Goddess

Morgan
Just like a raven
Your eyes are brown
Like the earth you can withhold

Your name is free
The like raven within you
You escape into the freedom of the sky
With the wings of love

You are calm and smooth
Like the feathers of a raven
You are brave and bold
Once again you are a raven

A symbol of life and peace in an earthy way
Morgan you are the raven that protects the soul

poem by Jasmine AppelhausReport problemRelated quotes
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Beauty Seen, In A Raven's Wing...

The Snow Brings
Dark Beauty Seen
In A Raven’s Wing
Iridescent Sheen
Black Glistening …

… Like Night Dreams
Plumage Gleams
and Eyes Seems
Fathomless Schemes
Of Obsidian Beams …

… Or Eclipse Rings
and The Raven Preens
Its Dark Beauty Seen
Like A Wet-Jet Queen
Or Nocturnal King …

… Wakes from Sleeping
Lifting Pitch Wings
and Dark Beauty Seen
Into Sky-High Scene
and The Care Of The Supreme …

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A King in Exile

O THE Queen may keep her golden
Crown and sceptre of command!
I would give them both twice over
To be King of Babyland.
Sure, it is a wondrous country
Where the beanstalks grow apace,
And so very near the moon is
You could almost stroke her face.

And the dwellers in that country
Hold in such esteem their King,
They believe that if he chooses
He can do—just anything!

And, although his regal stature
May be only four-feet-ten,
Think him tallest, strongest, bravest,
Noblest, wisest, best of men.

Ah, how fondly I remember
The good time serene and fair,
In the bygone years when I, too,
Was a reigning monarch there!

But my subjects they discrowned me
When they’d older, colder, grown;
And they took away my sceptre,
And upset my royal throne.

Yet, although a King in Exile,
Without subjects to command,
I am glad at heart to think I
Once was King of Babyland.

poem by Victor James DaleyReport problemRelated quotes
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Whatsoever

Old haggard poltergeist
Caught in bizarre ambush

Powers of twenty ravens
Are worthy to rise above
Eagle at the limit of heavens
Wings and claws can't work anymore
When the mighty fight is proclaimed,
They will be in one combined
Struggling to avoid the flames

Raven, messenger of Hell

Nothing here to call it fear
As I have nothing to hide
I am darkened feathered
Or whatsoever comes to your minds
Sin, can't you just realize
That by your immortality,
We are more than mortals
Or whatsoever comes to our minds

Caught in bizarre ambush

They all are herded by their desires
Slaying there saining around their nests
Avenging for a castle made of mire
Like that old haggard poltergeist

So try to guess what the difference is
Between tall palm and the fast raven
Answer is the wide sea

Ravens, messengers of Hell
Caught him in bizarre ambush
Skirring higher


Novermber 23,2010,12: 41 AM

poem by Mohammed HassanReport problemRelated quotes
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The Death of a Raven

As I was taking a tour today
I saw a raven lying dead by the side of a bank
He lay there lone, cold, dead
Nobody to bury, cremate, or carry him away
I felt sad
I felt life is so sudden, so short
A couple of ravens kept circling the dead
They tried to tell me something of the raven dead
But I couldn't understand them
Because I don't know as how to interpret the language of the raven
The raven lay dead by the pavement of the bank
He lay sideways
His feet up
His dead beak closed and dead
I felt a sudden rush of hopelessness, a sudden rush of undefined pain
I didn't stop there to mourn the raven's death
I ran away as fast my legs would pace
The raven is dead
Everything around him goes as usual
Life is a continuous process
Time, tide, space flows on their own pace
Nobody notices the death of the raven
Except me
My soul saddens by the death of the unknown raven
The sky is dark and cloudy
It threatens rain
A few drops dropp here and there to make the scorched ground a little
wet
I cry for the dead raven
Please spare a pray for the dead raven

poem by Ujjol KamalReport problemRelated quotes
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The Raven Crows

The Raven Crows
by Charles Robert Hice on Thursday, November 22,2012 at 9: 27pm ·
The Raven Crows
The Raven stretches its wings and flies into the gray winter skies while the raven flies it Crows its rawkish voice makes aweful noise
it blows the wind it howls and sounds like a mechanical noise inside the wind
the noise pretends to be the raven as it crows it flies it crows and flies it dives down into the wind and sounds like a noise falling fast and then it sort of dies and falls away not the sound it echoes and it blows
in the middle of the night no one can see the ravens flight but they hear the voice the noise the sound even the wings they flap they glide silent and they hide
The raven seldom crows when it is in its glide it falls and hides no one can see the feathers as it plummets from the sky it moves in a silent fashion
as the raven glides it hides from the eyes of the men it has a sense of reality and a purpose as it glides it looks neither to the left or to the right finally it is satisfied with its destination in its sight the raven crows one final time and plummets like a stone into the night and suddenly a poem is come to earth as Poe hears his famous bird not the crow the rook or the blackbird as it sings but the Raven as it speaks to only him
Nevermore
The Raven Crows

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I Hear The Raven Sing

I can hear the raven sing,
I can hear the raven sing,
He calls out my name,
I can hear the raven sing,

He calls out to me,
His song is singing in the wind,
I can hear the raven sing,
Thunder breaks a silent moment,
Then he calls out my name,
A spiritual glow envelops,
Medicine power develops,
As the raven sings,

A rainbow doubled,
My minds not troubled,
As I hear the raven sing,
It’s time to go home,
My ancestors wait for me,
The welcome hand is extended,
My place around the council fire reserved,
I hear the raven sing,
There, all that was, is preserved,
And the message of the raven heard.
My Vision my Dream.
Osceola Birdman Waters.
Copy rights pending.
Dedicated to Billy White Fox.

poem by Osceola WatersReport problemRelated quotes
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The Rose has flushed Red

The rose has flushed red, the bud has burst,
And drunk with joy is the nightingale
Hail, Sufis! lovers of wine, all hail!
For wine is proclaimed to a world athirst.
Like a rock your repentance seemed to you;
Behold the marvel! of what avail
Was your rock, for a goblet has cleft it in two!

Bring wine for the king and the slave at the gate
Alike for all is the banquet spread,
And drunk and sober are warmed and fed.
When the feast is done and the night grows late,
And the second door of the tavern gapes wide,
The low and. the mighty must bow the head
'Neath the archway of Life, to meet what . . . outside?

Except thy road through affliction pass,
None may reach the halting-station of mirth
God's treaty: Am I not Lord of the earth?
Man sealed with a sigh: Ah yes, alas!
Nor with Is nor Is Not let thy mind contend
Rest assured all perfection of mortal birth
In the great Is Not at the last shall end.

For Assaf's pomp, and the steeds of the wind,
And the speech of birds, down the wind have fled,
And he that was lord of them all is dead;
Of his mastery nothing remains behind.
Shoot not thy feathered arrow astray!
A bow-shot's length through the air it has sped,
And then . . . dropped down in the dusty way.

But to thee, oh Hafiz, to thee, oh Tongue
That speaks through the mouth of the slender reed,
What thanks to thee when thy verses speed
From lip to lip, and the song thou hast sung?

poem by Shams al-Din HafizReport problemRelated quotes
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Black raven, White dove

When it's black,
Like the raven,
The well is full, but full of what?
My sun is shining in a half pale burst,
With toxic, red hot guilt

And as if in stark contrast,
The white dove just hits home-
And its what I've always wanted alive,
But then when I give some brainpower,
I decide that maybe it could be dead-
And it took the black to show it.

But then the black of the raven,
So beautifully stunning,
I look at her and all I see,
Is the storm in her eyes,
And the dove
Should be crying
For it doesn't know
That my white heart is dying
Replaced by the black of the right

"Home is where the heart is"
Then my home's firmly with the white,
It's where I've lived,
For six months past,
And I feel like I belong
I feel like I am home there
But then I see,
Cupid's stupid decree-
With one black wing and one white,
But which is wrong?
Which right?

But is the dove ever going to surrender?
Wave its' flag and give in to the raven?
Cause the raven's a-pecking,
And so far she's winning,
And with a fight,
And a laboratory,
The boy of white has slim chance of winning.

Cause now that it's out,
I'm secretly devout,
So secretly, darkly obsessed,
With the black of the girl,
And the light blue of the raven's eye,
But then its' always been white,
The dove the keeper of my heart,
Cause I found the dove lost,
With clips in his wings,
And I tried to set him free
I showed all that he belonged to me
And he's the one who set me free,
My first and ever pet,
The first one I've wanted to be with-
Forever.

And the dove's innocent eyes,
And repeated cries,
Made me overlook the fact he can't fly,
But I'm not going to feed him,
All of his food,
He needs to live on his own too so he won't die

But could the raven ever be-
Just with me?
Even if the raven is more beautiful,
How does she know,
And how do I?
That she won't kill me,
That we won't die.

So used to the dove,
The raven's so new,
And there's so much evidence of some grey hue-

An ever-waging war,
Of black and white,
An ever-waging war,
Of wrong and right,
The dove or the raven,
Only you can decide,
The dove or the raven,
The tone that is inside.

poem by Ally GuntherReport problemRelated quotes
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Christina Georgina Rossetti

A Bird’s-Eye View

'Croak, croak, croak,'
Thus the Raven spoke,
Perched on his crooked tree
As hoarse as hoarse could be.
Shun him and fear him,
Lest the Bridegroom hear him;
Scout him and rout him
With his ominous eye about him.

Yet, 'Croak, croak, croak,'
Still tolled from the oak;
From that fatal black bird,
Whether heard or unheard:
'O ship upon the high seas,
Freighted with lives and spices,
Sink, O ship,' croaked the Raven:
'Let the Bride mount to heaven.'

In a far foreign land,
Upon the wave-edged sand,
Some friends gaze wistfully
Across the glittering sea.
'If we could clasp our sister,'
Three say, 'now we have missed her!'
'If we could kiss our daughter!'
Two sigh across the water.

Oh, the ship sails fast
With silken flags at the mast,
And the home-wind blows soft;
But a Raven sits aloft,
Chuckling and choking,
Croaking, croaking, croaking:—
Let the beacon-fire blaze higher;
Bridegroom, watch; the Bride draws nigher.

On a sloped sandy beach,
Which the spring-tide billows reach,
Stand a watchful throng
Who have hoped and waited long:
'Fie on this ship, that tarries
With the priceless freight it carries.
The time seems long and longer:
O languid wind, wax stronger;'—

Whilst the Raven perched at ease
Still croaks and does not cease,
One monotonous note
Tolled from his iron throat:
'No father, no mother,
But I have a sable brother:
He sees where ocean flows to,
And he knows what he knows, too.'

A day and a night
They kept watch worn and white;
A night and a day
For the swift ship on its way:
For the Bride and her maidens
—Clear chimes the bridal cadence—
For the tall ship that never
Hove in sight for ever.

On either shore, some
Stand in grief loud or dumb
As the dreadful dread
Grows certain though unsaid.
For laughter there is weeping,
And waking instead of sleeping,
And a desperate sorrow
Morrow after morrow.

Oh, who knows the truth,
How she perished in her youth,
And like a queen went down
Pale in her royal crown:
How she went up to glory
From the sea-foam chill and hoary,
From the sea-depth black and riven
To the calm that is in Heaven?

They went down, all the crew,
The silks and spices too,
The great ones and the small,
One and all, one and all.
Was it through stress of weather,
Quicksands, rocks, or all together?
Only the Raven knows this,
And he will not disclose this.—

After a day and year
The bridal bells chime clear;
After a year and a day
The Bridegroom is brave and gay:
Love is sound, faith is rotten;
The old Bride is forgotten:—
Two ominous Ravens only
Remember, black and lonely.

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The Raven sings

The Raven sings

Can you hear the Raven sing?
I hear it everyday.
What does this Raven bring?
Death in many ways.

Can you hear the Raven sing?
I hear it sing your name.
When you see the Ravens wings,
You will go insane.

Can you hear the Raven sing?
The Ravens here today.
Can you feel your heart sink,
As a loved one is taken away.

poem by Jamie WrightReport problemRelated quotes
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King Of Kings

Behold the son of royal birth,
Aligned by blood, no less,
To ancient kings who proved their worth
And ones God chose to bless.
Consider all that history
Has taught us through the years,
Each miracle, each mystery,
The laughter and the tears...
Consider how each king is raised
From birth to adulthood...
As if like diamonds, well appraised,
Superior not just good...
Reflect on posture that's portrayed
To signify his throne...
That tells you he must be obeyed,
For he is king alone...
Remember all his mighty power,
His strength and bravery.
For he is king and you should cower
At all there is to see.
That majesty, that dignity,
That stare that meets your eyes...
Should grant your soul some clarity
And help you realise...
That here he is, the king of kings...
Perhaps your friend or foe...
In either case, his underlings...
What more is there to know?


The poem is based on the magnificent painting
by Stephen Gayford called 'King Of Kings'.

While this poem is about the lion painting,
the poem is written without any reference
to the lion at all. That's because of the
Christian symbolism of Jesus, the Son of God,
whose royal ancestors meant that He was
called the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords.
The poem ends with the realisation for each soul.
Are you a friend or a foe to the King of Kings?

More Stephen Gayford poems can be viewed here:
denis-martindale-dot-blogspot-dot-com

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